Living a curse
by cosmically-entangled
Summary: Basically its a glass house vs vampires with the addition of a house guest at Oliver's insistence... It's danger but with the usual love and friendship that is typical of those within the glass house. Set somewhere between Bite Club and Last breath
1. Chapter 1

Eve!' Michael's shout, shocked Claire out of her studying rhythm; as it rang louder than the music beating in her ears. Pressing pause on the hot pink iPod, she capped her pen and went in search of the shouter... Or the shoutee to get some idea as to what new drama was being released onto the glass house. It didn't take her long to find Michael in the hall way, holding up a piece of mail as if it contained some form of poison. Eve's tell-tale clopping feet were above and in a couple of seconds Claire could hear the loud footfalls on the stairs.

'What is this?' Michael said, his voice barely hiding his anger.

'A letter?' Eve said, coming down the stairs, her 'caught in a shredder' skirt trailing along behind her. Eve was amazingly goth, under her skirt were navy and grey striped hose; to match the wickedly cool blue corset, complete with buckles that jingled softly; the clomping of her feet came from a pair of grey Doc Martins. Even her make-up with ultra goth, even for Eve. Her eyes were deeply outlined in black Kohl; with both her eyeshadow and lipstick alike matching the dark blue theme and making her whitened face look all the more extreme.

'Dont try to be funny Eve...' Michael flung the letter at Eve, as she stood on the bottom step. With flapping hands Eve just about caught the letter before it fell to the floor.

'Thanks...' She said sarcastically, rolling her extremely mascaraed eyes. She was radiating confidence, until her eyes cast down on the penmanship that had borne her name. A look of fear came into her eyes, quickly masked by a look of defiance.

'Care to explain.' Michael said, his voice flat.

Claire stepped into the hall, deciding it was better to try and bring some sanity back into the conversation then just listen hidden behind a wall.

'What's the problem?' Claire asked, wishing Shane was here and not off chopping meat somewhere for barely minimum wage. He would know what to do, Claire was certain- domestics weren't really her strong point.

'Leave it Claire, it's a whole load of nothing.' Eve said, taking the final stair and walking into the living room. Claire followed, as she heard Michael storm off, much unlike his usual calm self. Eve slumped onto the couch, picking up one of Claire's markers and flicking to the back page of one of her exercise books. She didn't look up from her doodle as Claire reclaimed her seat, and picked up her textbook.

'He's overreacting...' Eve sighed after a few moments of silence, Claire looked up from her book to find Eve watching her with a soft smile on her lips.

'But...' Claire said, already hearing the silent but from Eve's lips.

'But...he isnt a total fool...'

'Want to talk about it?'

'Are you busy CB?'

'No...' Claire said uncertainly.

'Then I think I would like to show you.'

'Okay...'

Eve was silent on the drive, but mercifully it was a short one like anywhere in Morganville, nowhere is long drive away- without the vampires there would be no need to have a car...really. Claire's confusion grew bigger as Eve pulled in to the newer of the crematoriums, the shine of the headstones glittered in the morning sunlight. Eve got out the car and started walking before Claire had even unclicked her seatbelt; hurryingly she followed, watching her steps as she followed Eve who weaved her way through the headstones with a distinct purpose. She stopped next to a black marble headstone.

When Claire reached her, it took only a glance to realize where they were. Eve's father had died when Claire was still fairly new to Morganville. Claire had never been to the grave site, even on the day of the burial- they had all skipped that part.

'Guess who paid for this?' Eve's pale hand motioned towards the stone.

'Your mom?' Claire said weakly.

Eve laughed; it was hollow. 'No, Oliver did. He bought it after all that crap with Bishop, a gift he said... I should have known.

'You should have known what?'

'Nothing Oliver gives is ever free CB.'

'What's he asking you to do?'

Eve stepped forwards and pulled a black handkerchief from her jacket pocket and ran the tissue over the marble, erasing the minute layer of dust, that was never far away this far in the desert.

'Eve what's he asking you to do?'

'He has threatened to take away my mom's protection if I don't help him... I know I owe the woman nothing but...'

'She's your mom?'

'Exactly! Michael thinks I should call his bluff but I know him Claire; I know he will do it and I know I got the shitty end of the stick when it came to families but she's my mom and as much as I want to say I don't care... I do.'

'Has Michael spoke to Amelie?'

'Yeah, the ice bitch agrees with Oliver.'

No'Eve what does he want you to do?' Claire was getting slightly freaked out; the look in Eve's eyes look somewhat glassy, as if she was seconds away from bursting into tears.

'It's actually what he wants us to do...'

'Us?'

'He wants us to take in my brother.'

'What? Jason?'

'The one and only.' Eve said, staring blankly at her father's headstone.


	2. Chapter 2

'No fuckin way!' Shane shouted, slamming his hand down on the tabletop with a echoing thud.

'Shane...' Claire said softly.

'No way Claire, that bastard is bad news...we let him in here he will stab us in our sleep!'

'He's changed... he's my brother...'

'I don't care who he is... he has stabbed me, nearly killed me! He nearly killed Claire too! Over my dead body is that bastard living under this roof. Michael say something, it's your house!'

Michael was sitting to Eve's left; he was just sitting listening; and hadn't said a work in the entire discussion. Taking an un-needed breathe, he sat forward in his chair, resting his elbows on the table.

'Well we have a choice; either we let him stay here or we say no...'

'And my mom loses her protection! Michael this is my mother, she is a horrible woman, but she is my mom...' Eve's voice caught, making everyone look her direction. 'She loses her protection means she dies; you know it does.'

'Eve I'm all for protecting your mom but he is a killer; if we let him live with us, we may as well let Jack the ripper or Ted Bundy come and house share.'

'Where would he even stay?' Claire wondered aloud, making Shane look at her with disbelief in his eyes.

'Don't tell me you're actually considering letting him stay here?'

'It's her mom Shane...'

'It's her murderous brother Claire! He hurt you, I am not letting him in this house, that close to you.'

'We don't have a choice Shane; Eve show him the letter.'

Eve got up from the table and came back pulling the battered cream envelope from her bag and passing it to Shane, who roughly pulled the single sheet from the envelope and read his brow furrowing more with each word.

'24 hours? How long you known about this?'

'A few weeks maybe...' Eve said.

'And your just telling us now? What about you?' He said looking at Michael.

'A couple of weeks...didn't realize Claire was home today...'

'So you still wouldn't of told us you were debating letting a freak live under this roof?'

'Shane he is my brother… and this is all to save my mother!'

'Eve out of all of us I know… but it's Jason… '

'Shane I need to do this… I need to save her… '

'Hell no!'

'Honey you couldn't save your mom… but I can save mine…'

Shane stood up with such force the chair skidded and fell with a clatter to the floor, his face was a mask of fury but Claire could see the pain hidden deep within his eyes as he turned away and stormed up the stairs taking them two at a time, a few seconds later came the full thud of his door, and the only thing to break the suffocating atmosphere at the dining table.

'you didn't need to do that.' Claire said softly, standing but not breaking eye contact with eve.

'What would you know?' Eve replied her voice tinted with annoyance.

Before Claire could draw a breath to reply, Michael stood. The tall blonde vampire was wearing a face full of uncertainty but when he spoke his voice rang like a bell in the room.

'She's right Eve.' Eve's face looked like Michael had physically struck her, her mouth opened and shut with an auditable clink of teeth.

'Your taking her side?'

'On this? Yeah cause that was low, it was cruel Eve... Just like your mother.'

Claire left them to it, her best friend was someone she barely recognized; the face was the same but her eyes were cold and her words were like whips.


End file.
